Historical anthropologist Andrew Agha has come a long way since a childhood spent mooning over the mummies in the Toledo Museum of Art. Having landed in Hilton Head in 1991, Agha became hooked on uncovering history after signing up for a summer field program at the College of Charleston, going on to earn his doctorate in anthropology from the University of South Carolina in 2020.
Last year, Agha and his team excavated the space under the kitchen of the 19th-century Nathaniel Russell House in collaboration with Historic Charleston Foundation. Thousands of artifacts—including a rare carnelian bead—were recovered, providing valuable insight into the Russell family, as well as the enslaved people who lived and worked alongside them. Here, Agha discusses what such investigations can teach us.
CM: What drew you to this field?…